Star Wars filming locations

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

The palace of Caserta is a former royal residence in southern Italy, constructed for the kings of Naples. It is one of the largest palaces in the world, with over 2 million m³ of building volume and covering an area of about 235,000 m². The palace was closed to public for four days to shoot the interior scenes.

You can see Amidala's throne room, the hallways and the famous palace staircase here.

Palace staircase

scripted scene:
INT. THEED - PALACE THRONE ROOM - DAY

QUEEN AMIDALA, SIO BIBBLE, and FIVE OF HER HANDMAIDENS are escorted by DROIDS. CAPTAIN PANAKA and FOUR NABOO GUARDS are also held at gunpoint. The group is decending the palace stairs.

BIBBLE : ...how will you explain this invasion to the Senate?
NUTE : The Naboo and the Federation will forge a treaty that will legitimize our occupation here. I've been assured it will be ratified by the Senate.
AMIDALA : I will not co-operate.
NUTE : Now, now, your Highness. You are not going to like what we have in store for your people. In time, their suffering will persuade you to see our point of view. Commander. (OOM-9 steps forward) Process them.
OOM-9 : Yes, sir! (turns to his sergeant) Take them to Camp Four.

The woods near Watford act as the first meeting place between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Jar Jar Binks

scripted scene:
EXT. NABOO SWAMP - TWILIGHT

QUI-GON runs through the strange landscape, glancing back to see the monstrous troop transports, emerging from the mist.
Animals begin to run past him in a panic.
An odd, frog-like Gungan, JAR JAR BINKS, squats holding a clam he has retrieved from the murky swamp. The shell pops open. JAR JAR's greta tongue snaps out and grabs the clam, swallowing it in one gulp.
JAR JAR looks up and sees QUI-GON and the other creatures running like the wind toward him.
One of the huge MTT's bears down on the JEDI like a charging locomotive.

Medenine is a major town in southeastern Tunisia. Ksar Medenine is an ancient Berber fortified granary. North of Ksar Medenine is the granary that acted as the slave quarters. It was used as the exterior of young Anakin Skywalker's home.

scripted scene:
EXT. MOS ESPA - STREET - SLAVE QUARTERS - DAY

ANAKIN : I.. will become a Jedi and I will come back and free you, Mom...I promise.
SHMI : No matter where you are, my love will be with you. Now be brave, and don't look back... don't look back.
ANAKIN : I love you so much.

SHMI hugs ANAKIN, then turns him around so he is facing QUI-GON, and off he marches, like the brave little trooper that he is. He marches right past QUI-GON, starring right ahead, tears in his eyes, determined not to look back.

Located near the village of Tataouine lies Ksar Ouled Soltane, a beautyful ghorfa (grain storage facility) that was used to as a background for some of the Slave Quarters shots,. The planet Tatooine got its name from this town, and that's about the town's only contribution to the movie. Most of the scenes were shot in the hills and villages surrounding the town.

Mos Espa
Tunisian desert
Lat/Long coordinates 33.994296,7.842677

This set was built from nothing in the middle of the desert, and still stands. This is not a typical studio tour. Most Tunisians haven't even seen the Star War's movies, but they recognize that there's more value in just leaving the props alone and keep them in good state, than removing them.

You can see the whole town: the gates of Mos Espa; the Pod-racing arena; the gallery and the Mos Espa streets with Watto's junk shop, the market and Sebulba's Café. Get there early in the morning and you could have the place to yourself.

The little GROUP walks down the main street of Mos Espa.
They pass dangerous looking citizens of all types.
PADME looks around in awe at this exotic enviroment.

QUI-GON : ...moisture farms for the most part, but also a few indigenous tribes and scavengers.
The few spaceports like this one are havens for those who do not wish to be found...
PADME : ....like us. JAR JAR is in a constant state of panic.

ARTOO whistles along, with perfect confidence.

A few hundred meters away from the set you'll find the Yardangs: protruding bits of sandstone that look like shark fins peeping out of the desert. The Jedi duel between Qui-Gonn and Darth Maul in Episode I was shot here.

QUI-GON and ANAKIN run toward the Naboo spacecraft. ANAKIN is having a hard
time keeping up.

ANAKIN : Master Qui-Gon,sir, wait!

QUI-GON turns to answer and sees a DARK-CLOAKED FIGURE bearing down on a
speeder bike.

QUI-GON : Anakin, drop!

ANAKIN drops to the ground just as DARTH MAUL sweeps over him. DARTH MAUL
jumps off his speeder bike, and before he has hit the ground, the Sith Lord
has swund a death blow with his laser sword that is barely blocked by
QUI-GON.
ANAKIN picks himself up. The two galactic warriors, Sith and Jedi, are
bashing each other with incredible blows. They move in a continual cloudof
dust, smashing everything around them. This is a fierce fight. ANAKIN gets
up, bewildered by the confrontation.

About 6km East of the Mos Espa set lies Oung Jmel, better known as the camel head rock. This was the site were Darth Maul arrived on Tatooine and released the Sith Probes to search for Queen Amidala’s ship. The same location was used for Maul flying over the cliffs after having found Anakin and Qui-Gon.

The sinister looking Sith spacecraft lands on top of a desert mesa at dus,
scattering a herd of banthas. DARTH MAUL walks to the edge of the mesa and
studies the landscape with a pair of electrobinoculars. He picks out the
lights of three different cities in the distance, then pushes buttons on
his electronic armband.

Six football-sized PROBE DROIDS float out of the ship and head off in three
different directions toward the cities.

DARTH MAUL stands on the mesa and watches them through his
electrobinoculars.

The speeder bus pulls up and stops. PADME, ANAKIN, and ARTOO get out.
The great courtyard stretches out before them, and they see the rose-colored dome of the palace on the far side.
ARTOO WHISTLES. They pick up their gear and start to cross the courtyard. ARTOO trundles behind them.

The Villa del Balbianello is located on the tip of the small wooded peninsula of Dosso d'Avedo on the western shore of Lake Como. Overlooking the lake, the villa is famous for its elaborate terraced gardens. One of these terraces hosted Padmé's and Anakin's wedding scene. Other lake retreat shots were also filmed here.

The villa is open to public and can be visited. Even hosting your wedding here is possible.

EXT. NABOO LAKE RETREAT, LODGE, GARDEN - LATE DAY
In a rose-covered arbor overlooking the sparkling late, ANAKIN and PADME
stand before a NABOO HOLY MAN.

Luke's home is located 35km out of Tozeur at Chott El Jerid. Chott El Jerid is part of the vast dry salt lake flats that cover 5,000 sq km on the West side of central/southern Tunisia near Algeria. The little igloo is standing here in the middle of nowhere. Because the Lars Homestead interior scenes were shot somewhere else, the crew had to dig some craters next to it, to make you believe there's actually an underground structure in the movie.

The igloo was taken apart after the shooting of the first trilogy but was rebuilt for Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Some memorable scenes were shot here, including Shmi Skywalker's funeral in Attack of the Clones, and the final shot of Revenge of the Sith. It's a good idea to visit this location near the evening. When the sun sets in the middle of the desert and with the little igloo as the only structure nearby, you'll get a spectacular view.

scripted scene:
EXT. TATOOINE, DESERT, HOMESTEAD MOISTURE FARM - LATE DAY
C-3PO is working outside the homestead. He still lacks an outer covering;
his inner parts and wiring show. He looks up as ANAKIN and PADME arrive,

C-3PO
Good evening. May I help you?

ANAKIN
Threepio?

C-3PO
Oh, my... oh, my! Master
Anakin! My goodness, I can hardly
believe it! And this must be Miss Padme.

In Matmata you can actually sleep in the Lars homestead. The Hotel Sidi Driss served as the interior of the Lars homestead for Episodes II and IV. Beru's kitchen is still there, but except for some fiberglass and wooden frames, and the fresco on the dining room ceiling, you won't find any props. Even so, it is easy to get excited when sitting in the very same dining room that the Lars family used. The hotel also has a well stocked bar with lots of Star Wars memorabilia and a Star wars inspired menu.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith(2005)

The impressive limestone karst mountains in both locations were used in the film as the backdrop of Kashyyyk. The droid amphibious attack was mostly drawn from the Thai footage, while inland scenes were filmed in China.

Guilin, China

Phang Nga Bay, Thailand

scripted scene:
EXT. KASHYYYK-BEACH HEAD-DAY

A WOOKIEE CHIEFTAIN lets out a roar as the Wookiee army rushes to face the DROID ARMY. CORPORATE ALLIANCE TANK DROIDS race across the water against the WOOKIEES and CLONE TROOPERS on the beach. DROID GUNSHIPS provide air support, while a SPIDER DROID emerges from the watery depths. A brave WOOKIEE places an explosive on a SEPARATIST TANK and jumps off just before the TANK EXPLODES. From the Hologram Area, Yoda observes the ongoing battle.

Mustafar
Mount Etna, Italy
Lat/Long coordinates 37.752124, 14.995666

When George Lucas was filming Episode 3 in 2003, volcano Mount Etna and threw up a huge column of ash that could easily be seen from space and fell as far away as Libya, 600 km (370 mi) south across the Mediterranean Sea. Lucas sent a crew to Italy to shoot some material that could be used later. Footage from these eruptions were integrated into the landscape of the planet Mustafar where Anakin and Obi-Wan duelled.

scripted scene:
214 EXT. MUSTAFAR-COLLECTION PANELS-DAY

OBI-WAN heads for the bank of the lava river, but Anakin's DROID is faster.
He catches up with his old Master.

OBI-WAN and ANAKIN continue the swordfight. They battle away, balancing on the tiny platform and puzzled DROID.
ANAKIN, standing on the Droid, approaches OBI-WAN on the work platform.

OBI-WAN: I have failed you, Anakin. I was never able to teach you to think.

ANAKIN and OBI-WAN confront each other on the lava river.

ANAKIN: I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over . . .

OBI-WAN: From the Sith!!! Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil.

ANAKIN: From the Jedi point of view! From my point of view, the Jedi are evil.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

The impressive sand dunes west of Nefta were used to film the landing area of the escape pod of C-3PO and R2-D2.

scripted scene:
EXT. TATOOINE - DESERT

Jundland, or "No Man's Land", where the rugged desert mesas meet the foreboding dune sea. The two helpless astro-droids kick up clouds of sand as they leave the lifepod and clumsily work their way across the desert wasteland. The lifepod in the distance rests half buried in the sand.

Sidi Jemour is a temple, located some miles north of Ben’s house. It was seen in the movie as Toshi Station in Anchorhead, in a shot where the landspeeder rushes into Anchorhead on its way to Mos Eisley.

Heat waves radiate from the dozen or so bleached white buildings. Luke pilots his Landspeeder through the dusty empty street of the tiny settlement. An old woman runs to get out of the way of the speeding vehicle, shaking her fist at Luke as he flies past.

This former airship production facility with two large hangars sheds was used for the Rebel Base hangar scenes inside the Massassi Temple on Yavin IV; Shed 1 was used in Ep.IV and Shed 2 was used for Rogue One. Shed 2 is now permanently converted into a film studio. http://www.cardingtonstudios.com

scripted scene:
INT. MASSASSI OUTPOST - MAIN HANGAR DECK

Luke, Threepio and little Artoo enter the huge spaceship hangar and hurry along a long line of gleaming spacefighters

23km North-East of Tozeur you can find Sidi Bouhel, better known as the Juntland Wastes in the movies. This canyon was used in 1976 for no less than 9 shots. Lucasfilm named it "Star Wars Canyon". Also the canyon was used in Raiders of the Lost Ark and in The English Patient.

In front of the canyon entrance, you'll see the Sandcrawler parking lot. The inside is a narrow gorge walled by two hundred foot high cliffs and a wide, flat wadi that runs from Jebel Krefane down to the chott. In the gorge Luke was being attacked by Tusken Raiders, and met Obi-Wan Kenobi for the first time. This is also the place where R2 is kidnapped by Jawas. Just outside the mouth of the gorge Imperial Stormtroopers attacked and massacred the Jawas who sold the droids on to Uncle Owen.

Artoo forces himself into the shadows of a small alcove in the rocks as the vicious Sandpeople walk past carrying the inert Luke Skywalker, who is dropped in a heap before the speeder. The Sandpeople ransack the speeder, throwing parts and supplies in all directions. Suddenly they stop. Then everything is quiet for a few moments. A great howling moan is heard echoing throughout the canyon which sends the Sandpeople fleeing in terror.

What was once a former bakery in the town of Ajim, was used as the the famous Mos Eisley Cantina. Nowadays the building is still there, but almost in ruins.

scripted scene:
EXT. TATOOINE - MOS EISLEY - STREET

The speeder pulls up in front of a rundown blockhouse cantina on the outskirts of the spaceport. Various strange forms of transport, including several unusual beasts of burden, are parked outside the bar. A Jawa runs up and begins to fondle the speeder.

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Hoth
Finse, Norway
Lat/Long coordinates 60.603478, 7.502310

Finse is a little settlement surrounded by snow-covered mountains. It sits at the highest point along the Oslo-Bergen railway line—a whopping 1222 meters above sea level. At any given time there are around 30 people living in the town, and that population is largely composed of hotel staff or railway workers. Finse’s biggest structure is the hotel that housed cast and crew of The Empire Strikes Back back in 1979. All of the iconic Hoth scenes were recorded here in winter on and around the nearby Hardangerjøkulen glacier.

scripted scene:
EXT. HOTH - ICE PLAIN - BATTLEFIELD

The cannons mounted on the walker head fire at the speeders. Other walkers loom in the background. Two speeders race away past two of the enormous walkers and bank to the right.

As the rest of the movie was shot completly in studio's (space scenes, Dagobah, Falcon interior, Cloud City) Finse/Hoth is the only outdoor filming location of The Empire Strikes Back.

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

While the most Tatooine footage was filmed in Tunisia, some scenes were also shot in Death Valley. The desolate trip from Artoo and Threepio to Jabba's Palace is one of them.

scripted scene:
EXT ROAD TO JABBA'S PALACE - TATOOINE

A lonely, windswept road meanders through the desolate Tatooine terrain. We HEAR a familiar BEEPING and a distinctive reply before catching sight of ARTOO-DETOO and SEE-THREEPIO, making their way along the road toward the ominous palace of Jabba the Hutt.

The special effects crew of Industrial Light & Magic constructed a pit in the desert sands of Yuma, Arizona, that contained a freightening gaping mouth with jagged teeth and tentacles. At the time, the pit together with Jabba the Hutt's sail barge constituted one of the largest motion picture sets ever constructed. A hydraulic system was designed to animate the creature, but the blowing sand clogged the mechanism. The film crew instead used poles and wires to move the creature's tentacles.

scripted scene:
EXT SARLACC PIT

The convoy moves up over a huge sand pit. The Sail Barge stops to one side of the depression, as does the escort skiff. But the prisoner's skiff moves out directly over the center and hovers. At the bottom of the deep cone of sand is a repulsive, mucous-lined hole, surrounded by thousands of needle-sharp teeth. This is the SARLACC. A plank is extended from the edge of the prisoner's skiff. Guards release Luke's bonds and shove him out onto the plank above the Sarlacc's mouth.

The Endor film scenes were recorded at the "Avenue of the Giants" in Humboldt Redwoods State Park in California. The lush, green environment underneath the giant sequoia trees served perfectly as the natural habitat of the Ewoks.

scripted scene:
EXT FOREST LANDING SITE - ENDOR

The stolen Imperial shuttle sits in a clearing of the moon's dark, primeval forest, dwarfed by the ancient towering trees.

On an adjacent hill, the helmeted Rebel contingent makes its way up a steep trail. Leia and Han are slightly ahead of Chewie and Luke. The troops of the strike-team squad follow, with Artoo and Threepio bringing up the rear. Artoo beeps.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

The Rub' al Khali desert ("the Empty Quarter" in Arabic) is the largest continuous sand desert in the world. It was the perfect place for JJ Abrams to stand in as the remote planet of Jakku, home of Rey.

scripted scene:
CRASHED STAR DESTROYER
Rey is rendered minuscule, standing at the bottom of an engine of a decaying, crashed Star Destroyer. She sets her things on a piece of sheet metal and sits next to it, sliding down the sand dune. She RIDES DOWN THE MOUNTAIN OF SAND.

Lakeside setting of Maz Kanata's Castle on Takodana. Derwentwater is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. Derwentwater is a place of considerable scenic value. It is surrounded by hills, and many of the slopes facing Derwentwater are extensively wooded. A great place for a castle home to illegal smuggling.

scripted scene:
EXT. TAKODANA PLANET - DAY

The Falcon CRESTS OVER an ENDLESS GREEN FOREST TO REVEAL a CASTLE on a picturesque LAKE. The Falcon lands near the castle, among dozens of WORN, smallish freighters

This ancient woodland contains strange rock formations, secret caves and ancient trees, with a confusing maze of paths. Puzzlewood was the inspiration for the forests of Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings, such as the Old Forest, Mirkwood and Fangorn. JK Rowling also came here to get inspiration for The Forbidden Forest in the Harry Potter series.

scripted scene:
EXT. FOREST - DAY

Rey races through the forest and finally comes to a stop, overwhelmed and exhausted. At an emotional breaking point, she has no idea where to go, who to turn to. Then she HEARS A BEEP -- turns to see BB-8, catching up with her.

This former Royal Air Force base in Berkshire was also home to a GAMA site or storage for nuclear cruise missiles during the Cold War. These shelters were specially designed and constructed to protect the missiles and their crew against nuclear and conventional strikes. They were about 10 m high, with a reinforced 2 m thick concrete ceiling. Below was a massive titanium plate, 3 m of sand and a reinforced concrete plate. The shelters were completely covered with tons of clay. Each shelter was equipped with three hydraulic nuclear blast proof doors at both ends to assure a quick entry or exit. Just what a rebel alliance needs.

scripted scene:
EXT. RESISTANCE BASE - DAY

LARGE GRASS MOUNDS cover HANGARS, beneath the odd, giant trees. BOOM DOWN as RESISTANCE GROUND CREW direct an X-WING to a LANDING. In the FOREGROUND, another X-wing canopy OPENS, a PILOT climbs out. PAN TO REVEAL the landed Millennium Falcon.

Skellig Michael was uninhabited before a monastery was founded there in the 8th century. The monastic site on the island is on a terraced shelf 600 feet (180 metres) above sea level and consists out of dry-built corbel constructions. It has been estimated that no more than twelve monks and an abbot lived here at any one time. The steps we see in the films were also carved out by the monks. After the Middle Ages the site was abandoned again and became recently a Unesco World heritage site.

Now different tour operators run boat trips to Skellig Michael during the summer season (May to October). For safety reasons, because the steps up to the monastery are rocky, steep, and old, climbs are not permitted during very wet or windy weather.

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)

Ceann Sibeal is a well known golf court on the Dingle Peninsula in western Ireland. Now it is the location of the old Jedi holy site where Luke begins Rey's training in the ways of the force. The rugged coastline and a lush, green scenery blend in with Skellig Michael (not so far away from Ceann Sibeal) as ocean world Ahch-To.

The city of Dubrovnik was already famous by starring as King's Landing in Game of Thrones. Now it welcomes the Star Wars franchise as casino city Canto Bight. Stradun, the city's main street received a makeover in the typical Star Wars style and was closed for public for almost 2 weeks during filming. The medieval architecture pimped with future tech and actors dressed up in formal clothing gives it a sort of Monaco feeling, but this time in another Galaxy.

The world's largest salt flat, located near the crest of the Andes served as remote mineral mining planet Crait, location of a former Rebel base . This unearthy place is the location of the final battle. The resistance makes a last stand in their shielded mining hangar while the First Order sends an assault force to the planet surface to cut their way in with a giant plasma cannon supported by walkers.

The Salar was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt crust, which has an extraordinary flatness. The salt crust covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in lithium. It contains 50 to 70% of the world's known lithium reserves.

Rogue One, a Star Wars Story (2016)

No script available yet

Eadu
Reynisfjara, Iceland
Lat/Long coordinates 63.405430, -19.053941

Reynisdrangar are basalt sea stacks situated under the mountain Reynisfjall in southern Iceland which is framed by a black sand beach. It was ranked as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world. An ideal place for Eadu, the storm-stricken planet in the Outer Rim Territories with an Imperial research facility.

Lah'mu
Hafursey, Iceland
Lat/Long coordinates 63.523006, -18.777202

The deserted hillside of mount Hafursey form the backdrop of planet Lah'mu, home and hiding place of Galen Erso and his family.

Jedha
Wadi Rum, Jordan
Lat/Long coordinates 29.519835, 35.402637

Wadi Rum is hot in Hollywood for space movies. Filmmakers are particularly drawn to it for science fiction films set on Mars because of the red landscape. This time the red rocks are found in another galaxy, more particular the moon of Jedha.

London's Canary Wharf tube station was used as the setting for the Imperial security complex on Scarif. The station's see-thru escalators and glass safety doors are particularly noticeable in the film.